French River 
" Now we are convinced that the Cod can turn 
itself Inside-out like a Pocket, and that the Fish 
frees itself from any Thing that troubles it by this 
Means." 
That was certainly a very convenient habit, 
but one not possessed by the cod of the present 
time. The cod we saw opened had made no 
prizes excepting that three or four good-sized 
lobsters in an unimpaired condition were taken 
from one of them and laid aside. One wonders 
whether it is courage or callousness that enables 
a codfish to swallow a live lobster, claws and 
all, — and why the lobster allows it. 
After the dressing down of the cod came the 
turn of the hake and pollock, then of the 
leathery dogfish, these little sharks being very 
summarily dealt with and not washed at all. 
Last of all came the skates, their enormous 
bodies, shaped like a Chinese kite, almost cov- 
ering the tables and heaving up and down as 
though the creatures were labouring for breath. 
Only a small semi-lunar section is cut out of 
the skate and used ; this is coarse meat, but we 
were told that when well cooked it is not ill 
flavoured. 
The men laughed over their work and talked 
211 
